Spring Newsletter 2019

Posted on May 01, 2019

It was the mid-90’s and Brian Costello had the vision to move people across the Winooski River. To make a long story short, by 1999, Brian made that happen with our first bike ferry, and Local Motion was born. Brian and Chapin Spencer then proceeded to build what is today Vermont’s only statewide biking and walking advocacy organization. Styles may have changed in the past 20 years, but our devotion to motion has only grown stronger with time. Click here for our early ferry history!

Better Streets & Connections

Check out our Biking & Walking Policy Webinar

On April 22nd, we invited Curt McCormack, new House Transportation Committee Chair and car-free commuter, to join us for a webinar and conversation aimed at helping to shape statewide policy for better biking and walking. Over 75 walk-bike advocates from across the state joined in to express their concerns and share their ideas. Listen to the conversation here!

Pop-ups On the Way!

So far, we’re planning pop-up demonstrations for safer streets in Barre, Winooski, Enosburg, and Springfield this summer. There may be additional pop-ups happening in Rutland, Williston, and the Mad River Valley as well, so stay tuned!

New Bike Count Program

Local Motion is launching a regional bike count program in 10 locations across Chittenden County this summer. With this data in hand, we can better demonstrate how much demand there is to improve on-road infrastructure. Our awesome volunteers will be supporting this work!

Advocacy for Safer Streets & School Travel

This Spring, we are actively supporting partners in Burlington, Barre, Brattleboro, Rutland, Norwich, Bristol, Richmond, Winooski and Lincoln to identify and advocate for safer walking and biking routes to their schools and/or town centers. In several of these communities, we are also developing School Travel Plans to help shift the car culture and encourage students and families to get around by means other than a personal vehicle.

Safe Routes to School, Safe Routes for All Gathering was a major success!

Educating Kids & Commuters

Shout-out to our awesome Bike Smart Funders!

Thank you to our Bike Smart Funders - Kohl's Cares, RiseVT, VTrans, and Richard Tom Foundation! Without their support, Bike Smart would still be a pipe-dream. We appreciate all of their support getting our trailer wheels rolling again this season so we can keep teaching Vermont kids how to bike!

Curious about e-bikes? Come borrow one for free! Click hereto learn about our fleet of e-bike loaners. And keep an eye out for news about an expanded e-bike library that will be hosted in towns around Vermont this summer and fall! Also check out these deals for Burlington Electric customers, including an e-bike rebate and free CarShareVTmembership! Keep an eye out for more rebates throughout Vermont this year.

Everyday Biking Workshops!

We want to demystify biking for you! That's why we hold free workshops around Vermont to give you tips and tricks for fun and safe biking. All kinds of topics are covered--even basic bike mechanics and on-street riding skills. Some workshops are hosted by our partners, like Old Spokes Home, Vital Communities, and VBike. We try to post all of our public workshops on the Local Motion Facebook events page.

Recreation & Fun

The Local Motion Bike Ferry

The Bike Ferry opening day is almost upon us! Are you ready for your summer ferry adventures?

Remembering Jeff Cohn

Volunteer extraordinaire, train enthusiast and bike ferry advocate

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of longtime Local Motion volunteer and advocate, Jeff Cohn. Jeff devoted an immense amount of his time (nearly 15 years) to Local Motion. His contributions ranged from taking pictures at events to organizing images to distributing maps, and much more. We will all miss Jeff and his dedication to our work, but we will forever be grateful for all he did and the stories he shared. To learn more about Jeff, click here!

Mission Partner Highlight

Switchback Brewing Company

Switchback Brewing Company has been supporting Local Motion with generous annual donations for ten years now! Like all our business supporters, we are incredibly grateful for Switchback’s contributions to our work. See all our business partners here.

The warm weather is here, lace up your sneakers and fill your bike tires because it’s time to roll out with the summer weather!